FASTA multiple alignment format

Description

A simple multiple sequence alignment format that looks very simlar to the FASTA sequence format except that - are allowed in the alignment. An advantage of this format is it is very compact and allows arbitrarily large sequence identifiers (a limitation of PHYLIP). A disadvantage is it is hard for human eyes to read it and make much sense. ClustalW is much more useful for visualizing.

Example

>CYS1_DICDI
-----MKVILLFVLAVFTVFVSS---------------RGIPPEEQ------------SQ
FLEFQDKFNKKY-SHEEYLERFEIFKSNLGKIEELNLIAINHKADTKFGVNKFADLSSDE
FKNYYLNNKEAIFTDDLPVADYLDDEFINSIPTAFDWRTRG-AVTPVKNQGQCGSCWSFS
TTGNVEGQHFISQNKLVSLSEQNLVDCDHECMEYEGEEACDEGCNGGLQPNAYNYIIKNG
GIQTESSYPYTAETGTQCNFNSANIGAKISNFTMIP-KNETVMAGYIVSTGPLAIAADAV
E-WQFYIGGVF-DIPCN--PNSLDHGILIVGYSAKNTIFRKNMPYWIVKNSWGADWGEQG
YIYLRRGKNTCGVSNFVSTSII--
>ALEU_HORVU
MAHARVLLLALAVLATAAVAVASSSSFADSNPIRPVTDRAASTLESAVLGALGRTRHALR
FARFAVRYGKSYESAAEVRRRFRIFSESLEEVRSTN----RKGLPYRLGINRFSDMSWEE
FQATRL-GAAQTCSATLAGNHLMRDA--AALPETKDWREDG-IVSPVKNQAHCGSCWTFS
TTGALEAAYTQATGKNISLSEQQLVDCAGGFNNF--------GCNGGLPSQAFEYIKYNG
GIDTEESYPYKGVNGV-CHYKAENAAVQVLDSVNITLNAEDELKNAVGLVRPVSVAFQVI
DGFRQYKSGVYTSDHCGTTPDDVNHAVLAVGYGVENGV-----PYWLIKNSWGADWGDNG
YFKMEMGKNMCAIATCASYPVVAA
>CATH_HUMAN
------MWATLPLLCAGAWLLGV--------PVCGAAELSVNSLEK------------FH
FKSWMSKHRKTY-STEEYHHRLQTFASNWRKINAHN----NGNHTFKMALNQFSDMSFAE
IKHKYLWSEPQNCSAT--KSNYLRGT--GPYPPSVDWRKKGNFVSPVKNQGACGSCWTFS
TTGALESAIAIATGKMLSLAEQQLVDCAQDFNNY--------GCQGGLPSQAFEYILYNK
GIMGEDTYPYQGKDGY-CKFQPGKAIGFVKDVANITIYDEEAMVEAVALYNPVSFAFEVT
QDFMMYRTGIYSSTSCHKTPDKVNHAVLAVGYGEKNGI-----PYWIVKNSWGPQWGMNG
YFLIERGKNMCGLAACASYPIPLV